Thunder Valley Raceway » 2012 Results

DJ Troutman scored his first ever Thunder Valley win Saturday in the Limited Late Model portion of the annual Windmill 100 celebration. The event features the visit of the Limiteds as well as extra distance events for each of the support classes adding up to the 100 lap feature total. It was those extra laps that made the difference in each of the other events as Jim Sayler (Semi Late), Bill Replogle (Pure Stocks) and Andrew Pluta (4 Cylinders) all rallied late for their wins.

Troutman started fifth in the Limited field as Matt Emerick led early. In what became a cautionfest, Troutman inched through the field and found himself third behind Jesse Snyder by lap 8. They became the fourth caution event one lap later as they banged together on the backstretch with Snyder spinning. On the restart, Troutman found himself behind only the leader Emerick and went to work. On lap 15 he shot by into the lead and ran off to the big win.

Enerick attracted a crowd late but hung on for second place, followed by Curtis Heath who started dead last in the field, Robby Black, Ron Bottenfield, Travis Calhoun, Snyder, Steve Bard, Rance Garlock and Wayne Johnson Jr. Troutman and Brian Lessley won the heats

Jim Sayler started eights in the Semi Late field and needed every one of the 30 laps to get to the front. Jamie Kohan was the pole sitter and early leader but Jason Vangilder had the lead after the first lap. Van Gilder then led Kohan and Bill Pluta as the event went all green. Sayler took fourth on lap eight and ran down the lead trio a bit every lap. He made it a 4 way battle at the front until Pluta and Kohan tangled on lap 21 to bring out the only caution of the race.

On the restart it took several laps to get by Pluta, and then he set upon Vangilder. He made his move as pair took the white flag and zipped by in the first turn to deprive Vangilder of the win in the 30 lapper. Vangilder was a very disappointed second ahead of Tom Warren who had started dead last in the field, Dave Whetstone and Greg Cornell. There were no heats for the short field.

The Pure Stocks went 30 laps, double the usual distance and Bill Replogle needed almost all of them to secure his win. Mike Duck was the pole sitter and early leader. He led easily over Mike Ott and Charlie Walters for most of the race but Replogle was third by lap 17. He passed Ott for second on lap 20 and applied himself to Duck. After quite a few laps of torment, he squeezed by for the lead on lap 29.

Although the leader, Replogle had to survive drama over the last lap as Ott’s car caught fire as they took the white flag and stopped on the frontstretch, while Willy Ling blew a hose only feet away. Replogle then survived the one lap shootout to win over a disappointed Duck, Chad Walter Ryan Beckett, and Derek Graybill who started last in the field. Justin milburn, Charlie Walter, David Beahr, Terry Mitchell and Greg Beckett completed the top 10. Ryan Beckett and Charlie Walter won the heats.

It was a Pluta party as the Pluta twins provided the exciting finish in the 4 Cylinder 20 lapper. Robert Pluta led the distance as a mob battled in his wake. But Andrew Pluta, returning for his first race since a grinding crash at Bedford a few weeks ago, finally broke free with 4 laps to go. Over those last 4 laps, Andrew was all over Robert with Mike Lauffer added in the mix. On the last lap the Pluta twins went side by side before Andrew inched by at the line for the exciting win. Robert took second, ahead of Lauffer, Nathan Kimitsky, Ray Wright, Cale Martin, Keith Deeter, Mike Meck, Jeremy Miller and Pat Breahm. Dave Lambert, Lauffer and Andrew Pluta won the heats.